Culture shock isn’t something I experienced until I left Australia for the first time in 2013. My first culture shock story took place in Egypt – a completely foreign land and culture, armored tanks and armed soldiers and ancient lands filled with mystery.
To be fair, Egypt was my first real culture shock. But it wasn’t the first time I felt out of place or lost in a new country.
While I did feel unsafe at times, I’m hoping my story will shed light on travel for first-timers that the world isn’t as scary as it seems – at least as scary as Australian mainstream media loves to portray.
You can adapt and enjoy a culture shock most of the time and I guess you could make a point that a few of my major stories below aren’t really a culture shock, rather just dangerous travel. But being thrust into foreign cultures and customs is never easy – I’d love to hear your take below in the comments after reading my story.
You can read about common culture shocks from travelers around the world to show the diversity of this natural feeling, or read tips on how to adapt and overcome culture shock.
My first overseas experience
I left Australia for the first time way back in March 2013.
I had 4 European festivals booked:
- Saint Patrick’s Day in Dublin, Ireland
- La Tomatina in Valencia, Spain (that giant tomato food fight)
- San Fermin in Pamplona, Spain (Running with the bulls)
- Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany
Other than those 4 bookings, I had little organization or structure to my travel itinerary.
Being the typical Australian, I spent a lot of my nights a bit too drunk and my mornings feeling a little hungover. But I always got up and I always explored as much as my legs would allow me to.
Even days that all I wanted to do was sleep off the 7 too many beers from the night before, exploring these foreign lands and cultures was enough to get me going.
What did my travel itinerary of 2013 look like?
Well, there was very little structure, to be honest. Looking back, I could have fit so much more into my year-long travels through Europe.
I began living in Ireland for a few months, this is where I thought I encountered a severe culture shock. But I was very wrong. Traveling Ireland wasn’t overly different than living in Australia. English was the main language and things weren’t that different at all.
From Ireland, I traveled to Paris, France. This is where I first encountered a primarily non-speaking English country. Once again, this crude shock I was experiencing, was a fraction of what was coming for me.
Next up, Amsterdam. Drugs in this city were the main change from the mindset I took with me from Australia.
By now, I was experiencing some pretty unique points of cultural differences in the world. Sure, different languages, cultures, and foods were in all these three countries of been in so far, but nothing could compare (or still does compare) to what was waiting for me in the ancient nation of Egypt.
Why Egypt was a culture shock for me
I took a guided tour around Egypt – and I’m glad I did. Being so new to travel, I would have been instantly overwhelmed, anxious and may have made rash and bad decisions (flying home would have been on my mind).
I flew from Amsterdam to Egypt. I went from chaotic bike lines to chaos on the roads.
My half-hour drive in the night through the streets of Cairo left me overwhelmed.
There were lane markings on the road, but no one really seemed to follow these guides. If your car fitted, that was your lane, at least, so it seemed to my weary eyes.
I checked into my grand hotel. Enormous ceilings and spiral wooden staircases. Yet, I saw no other guest. It felt eerie, being alone in these giant halls.
As I slept, I could hear the crackle of a fire inside a barrel, just outside my window. These dark and gloomy streets illuminated by an unattended fire.
The next day began the tour. There was always a vendor trying to sell something. Some more aggressive than others but none were shy in approaching potential buyers.
My tour guide made it clear not to take photos of camels – this would be seen as a service, and the owner would expect payment.
While small things like this continued through my time in Egypt, there were two experiences that I had had that stood out an above the rest.
- I took a riverboat down the Nile River and had a walk around the small town Aswan. Here, a local boy tried to sell illegal drugs to me. In front of an armed police officer just meters away. That was before a few kids tried to sneakily steal my water bottle right from my hands.
- From Sham el Sheik, flights were canceled, and our tour group was forced to take a bus back to Cairo. The issue was, allegedly just the day before, extremists had attacked and captured a number of Egyptian soldiers. This means, my small white minivan was escorted by armored vehicles and military personnel for over 8 hours. There were multiple security check stops and passports were removed from each and every traveler.
Yes, I’m not going to lie, I was scared. I was well out of my depth. A new language, culture, customs and way of life, on top of all these very real threats, it was unlike anything I had ever experienced.
Do I regret traveling through Egypt in 2013?
No, not at all. Traveling through Egypt in 2013 gave me an experience and a story I’ll never forget.
Now, if something went wrong. Like my convoy was attacked or that armed guard thought I was buying weed/hashish, then my view on my time in Egypt would be very different.
My friend and family were worried for my safety. The Australian Government warned travelers to reconsider their need to travel to Egypt.
I did my research, via online reputable sources and the company I had booked through and made my informed decision that the risk was low enough for me to feel safe.
I get asked a lot if I’ve ever felt unsafe in travel. This is always the first story I talk about and usually, the person’s jaw drops to the floor.
So, is travel unsafe or dangerous all the time?
More than likely, you will encounter times where travel isn’t totally safe that makes you feel uncomfortable or even fear for your well-being. Sometimes, distinguishing between an unsafe situation and just a common culture shock isn’t easy.
Seatbelts aren’t always available, cars drive fast around blind corners, there are travel scams out there preying on unsuspecting tourists.
Travel definitely has it’s possibly dangerous pitfalls. But by researching reputable outlets online – that doesn’t include Facebook or any type of user-based media/forum. – I’m talking Government websites like Australia’s Safe Traveler, or Canada’s Travel Advisory.
Don’t be afraid to cancel either. If things get out of hand, step back and ask a question or two. There is zero shame and you shouldn’t feel bad for not feeling safe about something you don’t understand or aren’t familiar with.
If I knew what I was in for in Egypt before I flew out, I very well may have backed out.
After all, there is no one else with your best interests at heart than yourself – listen to your instincts.
Now it’s over to you about your first culture shocks from travel
I’d love to hear about your travels through Egypt, before, during or after 2013. What differences did you experience?
On top of that, what experiences have you felt unsafe in travel? It can be anything that made you feel unsafe – I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
More reading about culture shock
Thanks for reading!
Happy and safe travels,
Ben – Horizon Unknown
